


Revelations From the Heart

by KIRA_user_of_Death_Notes



Series: Mysteries of the Heart (post-Heart of Stone fics) [2]
Category: Runescape
Genre: Anti-Hero, Dubious Morality, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Flashbacks, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Gen, Internal Conflict, Internal Monologue, Male-Female Friendship, Manipulative Relationship, Moral Ambiguity, Morally Ambiguous Character, Promises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-05-29 07:12:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6364459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KIRA_user_of_Death_Notes/pseuds/KIRA_user_of_Death_Notes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/6364063">Reflections and Secrets of the Heart.</a></p><p>The most important rule of following Zaros is keeping it a secret; it's been that way ever since the <a href="http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Zarosian_Extermination">Zarosian Extermination</a> of the God Wars. But now the World Guardian wants to bend that rule...just a bit, to let his trustworthy friend to know about Zaros and his plan to stop the Elder gods. She was with him when Xenia revealed her failure of a plan to stop the Elder gods from waking up, a plan that would remove magic from the world entirely. The World Guardian thinks she deserves the truth, so she would not follow in Xenia's path and do something drastic and reckless. But can he get Zaros to agree?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Revelations From the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> The following story takes place after [Fate of the Gods](http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Fate_of_the_Gods), [Dawn of the Sixth Age](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6295795), and [Reflections and Secrets of the Heart](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6364063), but before [Dishonour Among Thieves](http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Dishonour_among_Thieves) and [The Light Within](http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Dishonour_among_Thieves). 
> 
> As usual, gameplay and storyline segregation, in which the elements of the game that can't be taken seriously/doesn't translate well into a short story, such as respawning, eating an entire shark to heal mortal injuries, etc. being be changed/ignored depending on the situation will apply.

"I shall permit it."

Bryce's eyes widened, and his lips parted. No sound came out, but they curved upwards. The Sanctum was silent as a crypt for a few seconds before either of them spoke again.

"Thank you, my lord," Bryce said. "Thank you so much."

"With your memories, I was able to get a glimpse into her character," Zaros said, ignoring the World Guardian's gratitude. "However, my analysis is still incomplete. Your memories are not enough to show me her true nature; they only show me how she acts around you. I don't know if her thoughts are as noble as her actions."

Bryce's smile faltered.

"What are you saying my lord?" he asked. "Please, I know she can be trusted. I've known her for years, and I can promise you she would never betray our cause."

"I thought the same about Zamorak once," Zaros said. "I thought I knew him; I thought I could trust him. You know how well that turned out."

Bryce bit his lip and gazed at the floor. If anyone else had suggested that Ariane would be a traitor like Zamorak, he would have given them a murderous glare before telling them to shut up and that they were stupid, that he knew Ariane for years and understood her better than they could ever hope for and that they knew nothing. Of course. he could never act in such a way in front of Zaros, so he kept silent.

 _But I know Ariane is good and loyal,_ he thought. _I swear it on the graves of my parents. She'd_ never _betray us… never…_

"Forgive me, my lord," he began, averting his gaze from the floor and gazing deeply into all eight of Zaro's glowing eyes, hoping to find some a sign of approval or anything else that would allow him to get a grip on what the Empty Lord could be thinking about. But he got none of those things. Instead, what he received was the feeling of staring into several pools of deep water—no matter how long he stared, he would never figure out the secrets that lay beneath the surface.

"But I don't think she's anything like the Usurper."

"No?"

"No," Bryce repeated. "She'll be every bit as trustworthy as—

"World Guardian, you sound like a fool," Zaros interrupted. "Do you hear yourself? You are the one gifted by Guthix with the power to resist divine magic and yet you sound as naïve as a child; you speak as if your mind _truly_ cannot comprehend the very idea of one hiding an unscrupulous agenda under a noble façade, and yet you know such people exist. You are one of them, Bryce."

Bryce's eyes widened in surprise. "My lord? I…I never…"

Zaros continued to speak. "You've done some dishonourable things; you wanted to wipe out all the goblins from Gielinor as Saradomin and Zamorak once exterminated my followers, you wanted to start with Zanik's head on a spike, you suggested to your Duke to drown Dorgesh-Kaan, you decided to side with Hazeel and kill Lady Carnillean's infant son, you invaded Etceteria and took its Queen as a spoil of war and the moment your army stepped foot into Miscellania, you had her stripped of all her clothing, bounded in chains, and you made her walk back to the castle wearing nothing but those chains, you kept her in a dungeon and trained her to be the perfect Queen for your King, you cut away piece after piece of her identity until there was nothing left, then you rebuilt her in the King's image. You're not perfect Bryce; surely you are aware of that. You've taken life when you could have spared it. But around her, you act like you've never done such things. I've seen your memories, World Guardian. You certainly don't deny what you have done, not in your mind, although you do hide them from her. When you tell her of your adventures, you put on a mask of heroism and courtesy, you omit things that don't out you in a favoured light or you twist them into tiny lies too subtle to be disproven."

Bryce gazed at the floor again. _He's right as always…I do put on a very charming mask of sweetness and light around Ariane...but underneath the mask is a side of me I never want her to see, because she'd hated me for sure…she'll never want to see or speak to me again…and then what? I'd be devastated._

His mind recalled the first time he met her in Draynor, where she surprised him with her kindness when he commented on her urgent need to save the Wizards' Tower.

 _You must really care about the people there,_ he had said. _To go thrugh such lengths to save them. They must be very precious to you._

 _You have it wrong,_ she responded. _While the Tower means very much to me, the people inside mean nothing, aside from Wizard Ellaron. Only he understood, only he helped me hone my powers, only he was ever good to me. Everyone else acted as if I had the plague. But still…I will not leave them to burn. I don't like them, but they deserve better than that._

 _She was as kind as she was beautiful,_ Bryce thought. _She had a pure heart. It's rare to see that in a world as cruel as our own...and I love her for it. But…_

 _…But someone like her would not understand all those things I_ had _to do; all those things I was forced to do…if she knew…she'd hate me for sure._

He remembered the time he, Ozan and Sir Owen met at the Legend's Guild to catch up on their adventurers, and how uneasy Ariane had been when Sir Owen told them of the time he defied Sir Amik's foolish plan to attack a Kinshra base and snuck in by himself.

_She had a hard time comprehending Sir Owen's philosophy that we must sometimes do unpleasant things for the sake of the greater good. If she was only troubled at what Sir Owen was willing to do, how would she react if I told her what I'd done?_

* * *

 "…The guards had no idea anyone was behind them," Sir Owen said. "But I knew I could take no risks, so I fired my crossbow and I placed the crossbow bolts in the middle of their brains."

He paused for a second. "They died instantly; they probably didn't even feel pain."

Ariane looked uncomfortable. "You could've knocked them out instead."

Sir Owen poured himself a goblet of wine. "Perhaps, but it would've been too much of a risk. If they woke up, they'd raise the alarm. Giving them a chance to fight back wouldn't have helped anyone. Those guards _had_ to die for me to get to my objective."

"And that is?" Ozan asked.

"To rescue a comrade," Sir Owen said. "He was captured by the Kinshra. They were planning to interrogate him. Even the strongest of men could wither when they're tortured by the Kinshra. I had to stop that."

Bryce took a gulp of wine, and as he brought his goblet to his lips, he snuck a glance at Ariane and noticed a beat of sweat running down her face.

"Yes," Ariane said in a quiet voice. "But…"

"Believe me, Ariane, I don't kill out of enjoyment," Sir Owen explained. "I do so out of duty. Saradomin wants me to purge evil from this land and destroy the influences of Zamorak. I will use any method to serve him. If that means I use unsporting tactics, then so be it. Succeeding in the mission is more important than obeying arbitrary rules."

He took a gulp of wine, and Bryce did so too, but when he lifted his goblet to his face, he took the chance to sneak another quick glance at Ariane, and saw her staring at Sir Owen. She opened her mouth, but closed it a second later, and shook her head.

After all the time he spent in King Vargas' court, Bryce could read expressions rather well, and he could use other people's feelings to win an argument or advance his goals. He knew it was similar to the expression she'd wear if he told her about some of his more unsavoury actions, except it was less severe.

"I believe you Sir Owen," Bryce said, hoping he could do some damage control. "No man who enjoys killing would kill those guards so quickly and so mercifully without pain. You do duty, yet you still strive to cause as little suffering as possible. That is admirable."

Sir Owen smiled, but Ariane did not; she still looked tense. Bryce took another gulp, and he refilled the goblet. _Looks like my words had no effect, she still doesn't understand...she certainly won't like what I've done. In the worst case scenario, she'd hate me forever._

_No. I can't have that. I can't lose her, I…I…love her too much._

He then made a silent promise to himself as he drank—that he would never let Ariane look at him the way she looked at Sir Owen.

 _I'll be what she wants to see,_ he thought. _I'll be good. I'll be the hero she wants. And she won't hate me. And I won't lose her._

"I'm sure this comes as no surprise," Ozan said. "But I had an exciting adventure too. I don't believe I told you about the time I saved Bryce from the lair of the fire spiders."

"I believe I was knocked out the entire time," Bryce said. "As I have no memory of this event."

Ozan smiled as if he had told a joke, before telling them of the time he and Bryce set out to recover three gems so beautifully cut and crafted even dwarves would look upon them with awe when Bryce was knocked unconscious by a incoming attack and Ozan had to fight what appeared to be an army of a hundred thousands spiders while looking after Bryce's body.

Bryce smiled and nodded as Ozan recounted his story. He occasionally glanced at Ariane and could see she smiled too, a lot more often than she did during Sir Owen's tale.

* * *

 He looked up and his gaze fell into Zaros' eyes again. "You're right. I'm sorry, my lord."

_I just couldn't bear to think of her hiding a darker aspect underneath such a kind surface._

"Apologies are not necessary," Zaros said "But do you see now?"

"Yes, my lord," Bryce answered. "How will you make sure she won't turn her back on our cause?"

"You will bring her to the Sanctum," Zaros responded. "Either before or after telling her of me, but do not let her out of your sight if you decide on before. The moment she arrives, I will begin a ritual. She will swear a blood oath to me and be bound by it until her last breath. From then on, she will never be able to speak of me or my plans to those who do not associate themselves with me or do anything to hinder my plans."

"A blood oath," Bryce repeated. "My lord, if I may ask, would the ritual…hurt her?"

"Not much," Zaros replied. "But without it, I must forbid you from telling her anything. If I cannot assure her loyalty, I cannot take any chances."

"I understand, my lord" Bryce said, and he smiled, as he thought of how Ariane would react once he tells her he'll start being honest. _I think she'll like that. She was in tears when I said I had to keep her in the dark. I…I don't ever want to see that again._ "Thank you, my lord. This means so much to me."

Once again, the Empty Lord was unfazed by the acknowledgement of gratitude. "It means a lot to me too. Having a seer with me will prove to be useful. Now, will that be all, World Guardian? Or is there anything else you wish to ask of me?"

"There is my lord," Bryce answered. "You say Azzanadra is at the rune essence mine in Varrock, and you have no idea where he plans to go next. I'd teleport to Varrock myself and run to Aubury's shop, but I'm afraid we could miss each other. With such urgent message to deliver, I can't afford that, so I thought…maybe you can transport me to the Shadow Realm and take me to the rune mine, as Sliske did when he made me see how the Wilderness Sword glowed when I triggered the alarm in Guthix's cave."

Zaros paused for a second before he responded. "Very well."

And before the World Guardian could say anything else, he could see out of the corner of his eyes that the Sanctum was changing, the purple posts, purple stairs, and black and orange and blue tiles were getting duller and duller, as if their colour was being drained away.

Zaros waved his hand in a circular motion, causing their surroundings to smudge, until all Bryce could see around him were blobs of muted colour moving like oil drops in water, until they reformed into a familiar, albeit drab setting, with a spiralled wooden scaffolding built around a mountainous swirl of pure essence at the center of what appeared to be a cavern that had dead trees and broken ladders in its corners over very rocky ground, and a redheaded man dressed in a maroon shirt over tan trousers and a maroon feathered hat standing right in front of them. He was studying the pure essence and writing in a leather-bound book with a piece of charcoal.

"Here we are, World Guardian. Until the next time we speak. _Pax tecum,_ " Zaros said, as he waved again, and gave the world its colour back.

"Azzanadra."

The man in maroon gasped, and turned around. Despite his astonishment, he was still pleased to see a friendly face. "Bryce! What are you doing here?"

The World Guardian took a deep breath, and told him everything that happened, from running into Xenia and Ariane at the Wizards' Tower to chasing her down, to the battle with the Prehistoric Abyssal, to reporting everything to Zaros. The only thing he left out was Zaros granting his request to tell Ariane the truth. As he talked, Azzanadra took notes in his book.

"They could already be waking up because of her actions?" he said, as he finished writing his last words and closed the book. "So time is no longer an ally. We must redouble our efforts then."

"We must hurry," Bryce agreed. "Or we'll be as dead as Freneskae."

 _I'll have to work faster, harder…_ Azzanadra thought.

"How are you doing?" Bryce asked, hoping to hear some good news.

 _Not well,_ Azzanadra replied silently. _I previously theorised rune essence mines could be connected to the Elder Halls in some way. They certainly resemble them, minus Mah's place, but that made sense. Mah never arrived in Gielinor, and yet…_

_According to Bryce, all four Elder Gods have a mouthpiece. They're clearly worth investigating, but the chamber in Lumbridge…it's so unsettling. I can't think of one reason to explain why it exists. It couldn't have been for Mah, she was never here._

_What else could it have been for? Did her sisters think she'd eventually come here? Or…could it have been for someone else? Another Elder God, however implausible that sounds?_

Azzanadra forced his speculations aside, knowing he could dwell on them all day. He decided to focus on the topic at hand.

He gritted his teeth. Despite never meeting her, he had the urge to give Xenia, or even just her corpse a jaw breaking punch to the face.

"Stupid, arrogant woman," Azzanadra said. _Damn her! As if my mission isn't already hard enough._ "To take an action that has endangered everyone, for some misguided sense of the greater good."

"She was beyond reason," Bryce added. "I could genuinely see it in her eyes, she was convinced she was doing the world a favour."

Azzanadra sighed. "I've seen that back in the days of the Empire. We had an asylum in Senntisten for those who went insane. You can never reason with the insane, Bryce, no matter how hard you try. You did all you could."

"You're right," Bryce said. _But…_

"I wish I could've told her there was a better way," he confessed. "I wish I could've told her about Zaros' plan. Maybe if she knew, it could've been different."

Azzanadra sighed again. "I wish that too. I wish we still lived in the age of the Empire, I wish we lived in a time and place where we can speak of Zaros. Perhaps had that been the case, she would not have tried something so erratic. But what's done is done, and it does not do well to dwell on what could have been."

He smiled. "Even though her actions may have already set in motion a chain of events that would lead to catastrophe, I'm glad she was killed before she could really do anything that could undo our hard work…we do not have much time, but I have faith that my lord, Zaros, will be able to overcome her recklessness."

Bryce smiled back. "Me too. Zaros is our only hope of stopping the Great Revision, we must all place our trust in him."

Azzanadra nodded, and then paused for a second before he continued. "You speak like a true Zarosian."

"I am a true Zarosian," Bryce corrected.

"Of course," Azzanadra said. "It's just surprising to see someone have so much faith in Zaros, even though you grew up in a time where so few people have even heard of him. You never cease to amaze me, Bryce. Never in all of my existence would I have ever thought Zaros could ever be banished from this world. Nor did I ever think I could be captured and sealed in that stupid pyramid, or be saved by a mere human adventurer, or make contact with Zaros again, or see him return to his former glory. Heroes like you are only born once every millennium. Sometimes I look at you and I have a hard time believing you're real."

Bryce's eyes widened and a blush crept up his cheeks. After all, it was not everyday that a human, even the World Guardian received praise from Zaros' champion.

"You're too kind, Azzanadra."

"I speak only the truth," the former Pontifex Maximus said.

"You amaze me too," Bryce confessed. "You've fruitlessly tried to defend the Empire, you've been sealed in a pyramid and gone mad from the isolation, you've been released as a shell of your former self. You even risked death to serve Zaros, the other Mahjarrat wanted to free you and kill you…but even in the face of death and madness and despair you've remained faithful to Zaros. You've inspired loyalty in me…and you still do."

"And I hope I will continue to do so in the future," Azzanadra said. "Zaros needs all the followers he can get."

Bryce nodded, as Azzanadra opened his notebook again. The Mahjarrat flipped through the pages, and skimmed through his newest entry, his eyes flickering back and forth.

He thought of the Bandit Camp in the Kharidian desert and their songs about how Zamorak and Saradomin had the citizens of Senntisten crucified then impaled when there wasn't enough wood to go around when their forces conquered the city, Char in her cave, Nex in her icy prison, Wahisietel who was forced to live under a human alias in secret, and Athanakos who had only recently been freed from Enakhra's temple. He then thought of the vast armies of Saradomin and Zamorak, and even what was left of Armadyl and Bandos' followers. _Any fool can see we can't afford any losses. If any of us dies, who know how far we'd be set back?_

"In the meantime, I'll investigate these Kra," Azzanadra said.

"And I'll be inspired by your example," Bryce added.

Azzanadra smiled at the banter. "Perhaps I'll get a lead. Bryce, can you tell me again where you found them? I want to make sure I got everything right."

"FulKra was found under the Karamjan volcano," Bryce responded.

"Yes, that makes sense," Azzanadra commented. "My research indicates that Ful was closeleyaffiliated with with the early Tzhaar."

"BikKra was found under Entrana," Bryce continued.

Azzanadra scoffed softly. "No accounting for taste, still I imagine those detestable monks came later."

"WenKra was found under White Wolf Mountain," Bryce said.

"Go on."

"And JasKra was found in the Kharidian Desert, east of Sophanem," Bryce concluded.

Azzanadra snapped his notebook shut. "It appears that everything is in order. I must leave now. I'll write to you if I discover anything."

Without another word, he summoned what appeared to be translucent purple bricks which appeared all around him on all four sides, like the base of a hut. The bricks kept stacking on top of each other until they formed walls that were just three inches taller than Azzanadra's human self, along with a ceiling that touched the tips of all four walls. A second later, they grew more and more transparent until they disappeared entirely and took Azzanadra with them.

* * *

 By the time he returned to Taverley, the sky was a darker shade of blue than it had been before, and the clouds were streaked with light shades of pink and purple, except for the ones that were closer to the western sun, they seemed to be blazing with orange to yellow light. Bryce made his way north, past the Pick and Lute Pub, and into the purple house portal which sent him to the central garden. He opened the mahogany double doors, and the first thing he saw was his maid sweeping the floor of the parlour.

She gave him a quick smile. "Welcome home, Master Bryce."

"How's Ariane?"

"Still asleep, Master Bryce" the maid answered. "The cadava potion is still in effect."

Bryce pressed his mouth into a line, before opening it a second later. "Bring me some wine."

The maid did as she was instructed, and returned with a full flagon and a gilded goblet shortly afterwards.

"That will be all," he told her. "I can pour my own wine."

The maid continued sweeping, and Bryce decided to kill some time while he waited for Ariane to come around. He went to the bookshelf and took out a book he hadn't read in a long while—a history of his family. He sat down on an armchair, poured himself a goblet of wine, and drank as he read.

He started on the beginning, with Camorra and how she tracked down and slew Garak, a large black dragon that terrorised Varrockian settlements near the Wilderness. From there, he read about her sons and their sons and their sons, until he got to Lord Kiran Stanton, who was an adviser to the king. He went further on, reading about Lord Kiran's sons and their sons, until he got to Sir Jayse Stanton, a knight who won many battles for the king, and even protected the princess, whom he thought of as his Queen of Love and Beauty according to the poems he wrote in his journal. He even gave her the title and crowned her with a garland of roses after winning a tourney, but he eventually married Lady Larra Kayne, and the princess went on to marry another noble.

Sir Jayse reminded Bryce so much of himself, he became uncomfortable. He closed the book, refilled his goblet and took a gulp of wine. _I wonder if I would share Sir Jayse's fate. He loved Princess Celia, but he was too lowborn for her. All he could do was watch her from afar, while they both married someone else._

He thought of the time he wed Princess Astrid, despite neither of them loving the one they had been betrothed to. _Must I go through that again?_

Bryce took another gulp, to dull the bitter memories of the unhappy marriage. _I am not Sir Jayse, I don't want to love from afar, I want to be able to hold her, touch her, kiss her at my whim. I…_

He finished the goblet and refilled it again. _I… love her, not happily from afar, as Sir Jayse loved Princess Celia, but the way Dororan loved Gudrun. But…does she love me?...Or anyone else for that matter?_

He remembered the times they talked at the Legends' Guild and the times he met her while he was adventuring. _Come to think of it…she seemed to be more interested in magic than anything else. But then again…my love for her isn't obvious. After all, I never showed her any implications of how I feel, not while she was awake…_

His mind flashed back to him gently running his fingers through her hair just this afternoon, right after he dismissed the Bunyip familiar that healed her injuries. He loved her hair. It was such a lovely colour, and he always wondered what it'd be like to run his fingers through it. Bryce had then decided to take advantage of the situation and declare out loud she was still his Queen of Love and Beauty as he imagined with a garland of blue roses in her scarlet hair before reaching out and placing a hand on her cheek, feeling the softness of her creamy skin and remembering the tears that had rolled down her face when she thought of killing Xenia to preserve magic and how he wanted to comfort her with more than just words. And then he bent down, and kissed her on the cheek, as if he was kissing the tears away hours after it had been shed. From there on, he began to trail kisses down her face, right where the tears had trailed, until he got close to her mouth, where he gave her a tender kiss on the lips.

 _I like to think she would've enjoyed that,_ Bryce thought with a smile, as he put down the goblet and got up. He made his way out to the menagerie, where the animal keeper gave him a report of how the penguin needed an even cooler habitat and how the growing baby troll needed a larger paddock. Bryce made a mental note to upgrade their living area as he strolled through the menagerie. He then returned indoors, where he checked on Ariane again. When he saw that she had not yet woken up, he went pack to the parlour, and managed to finish his book, for the walk allowed him to clear his mind. He started on another one, this time a book on the history of the Zarosian Empire that Azzanadra had given to him as a gift, and he read until he got too hungry to concentrate.

Bryce ordered his maid to check up on Ariane, who reported that she was still asleep.

"Keep an eye on her," he told his maid. "Alert me when she wakes up."

He went to the dining room where a plate of chicken wingettes and salad along with a goblet of wine waited for him. As he ate, he waited for the footsteps of his maid to approach and give her the news that Ariane had woken up, but they never came, so when he was done, went back to reading. Every once in a while, he'd listen for footsteps, but just like at dinnertime, they never came. It was rather late when he finished the book, and Bryce decided he'd have to tell her tomorrow. He walked to the bathroom, and he was just finishing up on his bath when he heard a knock on the door.

"She's awake, Master Bryce" his maid said.

Bryce quickly dried himself with a towel, before putting on the leather pants he had worn earlier during the day. As he made his way to the bedroom, he quickly decided how he would tell her and what he would say.

* * *

 Sitting up against her pillow with her arms crossed against her chest, Ariane waited for him. She wanted answers and a confrontation with Bryce too. On top of not supporting Guthix's last wish and not telling her why, not telling her anything about a possible second way to stop the Elder Gods, he had instructed his maid to give her cadava potion that would knock her out for hours. The maid insisted she take it, and when she refused, she kept on telling her that Bryce had given her orders to rest, before forcing the potion down her throat. Ariane tried to resist, for the maid had been strong for her size.

She then thought of how kind and understanding he had been. He had sided with her against Xenia before he even knew what was happening, he consoled her with his words when she was forced to kill Xenia, he brought her home and healed her with his Bunyip familiar, but it only made her sadder that someone as good as Bryce was causing her misery.

Just then, the bedroom door opened, and Ariane's eyes widened when she got the sight of Bryce dressed in just a towel with his muscled abdomen exposed and the tips of his pale blond hair still wet from a bath. Just like before, she was not distracted at all by his looks, and she gave him the coldest stare she could muster.

Bryce closed the door again, and opened his mouth but she interrupted him.

"Why?" she asked, sounding as hurt as she felt. "Why torment me even further, Bryce? Why keep me in the dark and drug me?"

"Forgive me, Ariane" Bryce replied apologetically. "I wanted to be honest with you. I swear on my life I really did, but I made a promise to keep it all a secret. I couldn't break a promise, but I realised you were right. We're more than just friends and we should be honest with each other; I couldn't keep you in the dark, so I tried to get special permission to tell you."

Ariane's gaze softened. "Why drug me then?"

"You were upset," Bryce said. "There's no way you would've stayed here; you would've left moments after I did, and should I receive permission to tell you anything it would've been a hassle to track you down."

Ariane was mildly surprised at how good he was at predicting her moves. "Why didn't you just say you were asking for permission?"

"That would raise too much questions," Bryce answered. "Should permission be denied, I thought the less you knew the better."

Ariane opened her mouth, and Bryce knew she was about to ask why that was so. Luckily for him, he also knew the perfect way to distract her from that.

"He said yes."

"Who did?"

"The god I serve," Bryce said. "But before I tell you about him, I must ask you this. Do you remember the day we went to the Varrock Museum, and I showed you the ancient tablet I found? You read the museum's translation of the Infernal words written on the table—'tremble mortal, before the altar of our dread lord Zaros.' You asked me what it meant but I didn't know."

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" _Unless…_

She gasped as the realisation dawned on her. "You serve Zaros?"

Bryce nodded.

"But… _how_?" Ariane asked. "We both hunted for information about Zaros, but I found nothing. Did you…"

"Find something?" Bryce finished for her. "Yes. And I'm truly sorry for keeping it a secret. I can promise you that it wasn't because I wanted to, Ariane. I…I suppose I should start from the beginning…"

Bryce told her of his assignment to find desert artefacts for the museum. He managed to arrange a meeting with Asgarnia Smith, an associate of the Varrock Museum, who tried to persuade him into finding treasure instead, and he accepted. His search led him across the world, from the desert Bandit Camp to Morytania to the icy north near the Trollweiss Mountains to Pollnivneach to the western lands near Baxtorian Falls to the Jaldraocht Pyramid where he was able to free Azzanadra, who seemed to have gone mad after being sealed in an immobile but conscious state.

He then told her of helping a mysterious hooded monk steal an ancient relic from Entrana. When he was finished, he told her of meeting Ali the Wise who thanked him for releasing a close friend from capture. Upon seeing his confused expression, Ali explained he was to meet his friend at the Blue Moon Inn and paid him a huge amount in gold for Bryce to go in his place. Bryce did so, and met Dr. Nabanik who ushered him into a room he booked, where he revealed his true form as Azzanadra, a Mahjarrat and thanked him for rescuing him, before asking him for another favour, and in return he would be given something that could never be bought, not even with all the gold in Gielinor. Bryce complied, and he was tasked with retrieving two items that would help Azzanadra restore an old, abandoned temple. The task took Bryce to Morytania and atop the Frozen Waste plateau, he retrieved both items—the Frostenhorn and the Barrows icon and he returned them to Azzanadra. Along with the Entrana relic, Azzanadra was able to make contact with Zaros and make plans with him, before giving Bryce access to the Ancient Curses.

"…Naturally, I was curious," Bryce continued. "So I asked him about Zaros, and he told me Zaros once ruled over the greatest empire the world would ever see. It stretched from the Wilderness to perhaps even Al-Kharid. He was a god and a king, and he was a good king. He ruled with wisdom and justice; he was merciful to those that bent the knee, and he punished those that rebelled, he knew that ruling meant considering the needs of his people above his own, he was never corrupted by power, he gave the Empire countless years of peace and prosperity, so much that Azzanadra said the architects of Senntisten, their capital city, made great halls and towers larger and grander than anything you'd see today, Zaros' own palace even made the Varrock palace look like a wooden shack, their farmers had ways, now lost to us forever, of yielding so much crops they could feed a city of millions without relying on imports, their builders made roads that were not made of dirt, and their mages…their mages invented and mastered spells that could cripple an entire army of knights."

"Wow," breathed Ariane, wondering what sort of magic they had and if it was any better than what the Moon Clan could do. _It certainly sounds amazing. But…could it_ really _be true? Can a god be so noble? So selfless?_

"But there had to have been a catch," Ariane said. "Right?"

"Gods don't have to be tyrants," Bryce responded, as if he read her mind. "You know Guthix's philosophy very well, and surely you've heard of Armadyl, he was willing to make peace with mortals, he even told me so when I fought for him against Bandos. Zaros is just like them; like Armadyl, he wants peace, and like Guthix, he wanted mortals to inherit the world."

"But he was a king as well as a god," Ariane said, surprised. "How can a king not want to rule?"

"Let me explain," Bryce said. "The golden age came to an end when Zamorak decided to betray Zaros. He was the strongest of Zaros' generals; he had great prestige and power, but he was still not satisfied. He was envious of Zaros; he wanted everything Zaros had. Zamorak stabbed Zaros in the back, and Zaros had to become incorporeal to escape death. Zamorak gained so much power, he ascended to godhood. And with Zaros gone, he and Saradomin fought over the remains of the Empire. Knowledge was lost and innocent blood was shed, and some of the treasonous servants of Zaros joined Zamorak. Together, they wiped all memories of the Empire, burning books and killing faithful followers. They crucified them all, in the end, they didn't have much wood left, so they impaled the rest on roughly sharpened wooden spikes. It took several days for the spike to go up their arsehole and out their mouth. Their bodies were all left to make an example out of them for following the wrong god. As their corpses rotted, crows pecked their eyes out, flies nested in their flesh, maggots hatched in their flesh too, beetles ate their flesh along with the flies and maggots, until there was nothing left but bones. "

Ariane pictured a pile of spellbooks being burnt by an army of mad fanatics, and then she saw a forest of crucified and impaled corpses, all in varying stages of decay, with maggots and beetles crawling in their bodies and flies buzzing around and birds pecking at their flesh. She shivered.

"How awful."

 _Exterminating everyone for following the wrong god, destroying all memory of him, burning books…_ she thought. _I don't suppose all those lost spells can be recovered…_

She sighed, and Bryce continued his tale.

"With all their combined efforts, they were able to wipe out all evidence of Zaros," he said. "For years, no one spoke of him out of fear, until so much time passed they forgot. For most of Gielinor, Zaros never existed, but not all was lost. A small group managed to escape into the Khadian Desert. They rarely ever speak of Zaros, partly out of fear, partly out of paranoia that history would repeat itself."

Bryce's words about the less she knew the better came back to her. "Is that why you refused to tell me anything?"

"Yes," Bryce answered. "I'm sorry. I couldn't say anything that could result in..."

His voice trailed off. "I know you don't mean any harm, but a little information can be dangerous. Look at Xenia. She knew about the Elder Gods and their plan for destruction, but she didn't have the whole picture, and look what she tried to do. What if you tried something like that had I told you? I had to think of every situation. That's why I didn't say anything."

 _And I would've kept it that way,_ he added silently. _The entire faction relies on operating in secret. It's better that way for everyone. But this is too big to hide, I can't keep it a secret forever. You already know about the Great Revision, and you correctly guessed what Freneskae was. If I still didn't tell you, you would've investigated and searched for information on your own about Freneskae and the Elder Gods. Who knows what would result from that. I thought I might as well tell you myself, that'd be best._

"They were forced to resort to banditry," Bryce went on. "But even now, they're still faithful that someday Zaros would return and take revenge against all who wronged them."

"But…that would result in more war and bloodshed," Ariane pointed out.

"Yes," agreed Bryce. "But what can they do? One does not simply forgive those that committed such atrocities against their people—  
they've been exiled, they've lived in poverty, yet they've endured, believing one day, all the wrongs against them will be reversed. To deny them the one thing they believed in would be cruel."

"What the Saradominists and Zamorakians did was obviously wrong, but revenge is wrong too," Ariane argued.

Bryce wanted to scoff but he controlled himself. _Obviously she doesn't understand. I suppose that can be excused, since she isn't Zarosian herself. No true Zarosian would simply let these things slide; a true believer of the Empty Lord would decimate the Saradominists and Zamorakians of Gielinor._

"But what would you have them do?" he asked. "Forgive them? Can you forgive someone who committed such horrific crimes against mankind?"

Ariane was silent. She had been through some terrible times, she had been ostracised by Zamorakian and Saradominists alike at the Wizards' Tower, she had been betrayed by Ellaron, she had been told by Sir Owen just how horrible the Kinshra were when they raided Falador, kidnapped his mother and tortured her, before sacrificing her to Zamorak, she had been told by Kara-Meir how the White Knights were just as bad when they used her like a pawn in an attempt to draw the Kinshra out to be slaughtered and denied Prince Anlaf the throne of Asgarnia, despite being the king's rightful heir. But despite all that, she always had a set of ideals she tried to stick by.

 _What would I do if I had been in their place?_ She wondered. _To forgive is ideal, but is it impossible? Could I have done it? Taken the higher road as they say?_

She did not know, and she hoped she'd never find the answer. A few seconds of silence passed before she changed the subject.

"What happened to Azzanadra?" she asked. "How did he end up inside a pyramid?"

"He did everything he did to defend the Empire," Bryce said, swelling with inner pride. "He was the strongest, he could annihilate entire armies with powerful spells, he could punch me and shatter ever bone in my ribcage, he was a brilliant strategist, and he even rode a griffin to battle. He fought valiantly, he fought nobly, he fought honourably, but even the best of men can fall. An alliance of Saradominists and Zamorakians got the better of him, they shot his griffin down and they sealed him in a pyramid. His body was paralysed but his spirit was still in tact, he kept thinking he'd be rescued, but centuries passed and no one came before he gave himself to despair and madness."

 _That's simply dreadful,_ Ariane thought, feeling sympathy for the Mahjarrat, but then she reminded herself his story ended well. "You came along and saved him, right?"

"I did," Bryce said. "By then he was already mad. He kept asking me about the names of places I'd never heard of, and when he realised that he cried about how he failed his lord. It was the most tragic thing I'd ever seen. I said I'd help him, but he teleported away. He did get better though; Ali the Wise nursed him back to health. It was only after he recovered that he was able to contact and make plans with Zaros, and it was only after Guthix's death that his plans became reality. I was tasked with bringing him back. I had to travel to Freneskae. It is as you guessed, a world just like our own until the Elder Gods woke up and devoured its Anima, but it is also his birthplace. He explained to me that before he came to Gielinor, he travelled far and wide; he's even been to the realms of demons and vampyres. At some point he discovered the Elder Gods and their plans to destroy everything, so he built an empire to unite all races under his cause, but now that it's been destroyed he thought perhaps it had been a bad idea, perhaps mortals should inherit the world while he watches afar from the shadows. I gathered the energy in Freneskae and wove it into a simulacrum that gave him his body back. When we left Freneskae, he gathered what was left of his followers—ones who could help him—just four people, myself included and he gave us all new orders.."

Ariane thought of what he said about how Freneskae was Zaros' birthplace and how he kept insisting to Xenia that he knew of a better way to stop the Elder Gods. "I take it that Zaros had a plan."

Bryce nodded. He then hesitated, before he spoke again. This was the very heart of Zaros' plan, and for a split second, he almost didn't feel like saying it out loud. "He wants to gain more power reason with the Elder Gods, but if that fails he'll fight them and beat them into a permanent coma."

Ariane became silent again. She had a feeling the Elder Gods would not back off so easily. _I guess a fight between Zaros and the Elder Gods is inevitable...but..._

"Would he win?" she asked. "After all, he lost to Zamorak. How can he beat an Elder God?"

Bryce's eyebrows furrowed. "Zamorak got lucky that day. But justice knows every man's number. Someday, Zamorak will pay the price on treason. Someday the Zarosians will strike back and the traitors will suffer a fate worse than death."

He paused before continuing. "Don't worry, Ariane. He'll beat the Elder Gods, I just _know_ it."

"You just _know_?" Ariane repeated sceptically.

"I have faith in him," Bryce said. "And I believe he will succeed." He glanced at the clock which read 1:52. "It's getting late. Why don't I take you to Zaros tomorrow? He can answer any of the questions you haven't asked me, and he'd be better at it too. I'm _certain_ he won't mind at all."

"Oh…okay."

Bryce left the room, and headed outside for his house portal, which he planned to lock so Ariane couldn't leave during the night. Ariane sank back into her bed. She thought about what Zaros planned to do and she remembered the Battle of Lumbridge, which killed, injured and displaced hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people from their homes, damaged property and farmland and the Battle of Asgarnia, which killed, injured and displaced even more.

 _Zaros wants to gain even more power,_ she thought. _I don't think I'm too far off if I say he's planning to get the Stone of Jas, like Saradomin, Zamorak, and Armadyl. I wonder how much destruction he'd cause just with that. And if we count the battle with the Elder Gods, what would become of the world?_

 _And no matter how convinced Bryce is, I'm still not sure he could win. He couldn't even beat Zamorak...come to think of it, I don't even know what he can do or if he has any special abilities or the limits of his powers. I'm not sure if Bryce knows either, he never spoke of them...Bryce has complete faith in Zaros...I'm a little worried. He's certainly pious, but...I hope he can still see reason, unlike some of the overly zealous Saradominists I've encountered, even though Zaros doesn't sound like too much of a tyrant; he's a bit like Guthix, really. But I still don't want him to be_ too _devoted; I don't want him to become Zaros' Kara-Meir. Extremism is dangerous for every faction, and I only hope he'll be reasonable enough to see the flaws of Zaros' plan._

She sighed. _But his plan is the only one we have, unless we can come up with something else, it's either his plan or death. Xenia..._

At the mention of her former mentor, Ariane's vision became blurry with tears again. She was reminded of how Bryce kept telling Xenia he knew of a better way to stop the Elder Gods, although he wouldn't say what, and she clenched her fists in resentment. _Why couldn't you have told her too? You made an exception for me, you could've done the same for her. If you'd done more, maybe she'd be alive right now!_

A second later, she unclenched her hands and felt a bit guilty _. Perhaps I'm being too hard on him. After all, he could only tell me because he had special permission, it wasn't like he could've gotten it in the middle of our confrontation..._

_Although I do wonder why...and he's even arranged for a meeting with Zaros. I wonder how that would go..._

**End notes: Because this is too much characters for the usual end notes box. If you read my previous stuff, you might've noticed that this one is darker and edgier than what I wrote before. That was intentional. Bryce was always meant to be an anti-hero, and so far, I've shown you his good side, but I haven't shown you his dark side until now. I hope I didn't go too far and make him a designated hero. So let me explain his actions, he hated goblins 'cause they killed his parents (it's all in his profile, link is in my profile, if you haven't read it I highly recommend reading it to get the most out of my Runescape stories) and he wanted to kill the entire race ('cause he wanted revenge and he didn't know which goblin killed his parents so he decided to kill them all off, it's basically a twist of the "they killed my parents, I'll avenge them" story), and he initially wanted Zanik dead too. Bryce also sided with Hazeel and he killed Henryeta Carnillean's infant son to prove his loyalty (in the original quest, he had to kill a family member too but he ended up killing the dog, and that didn't fit in at all with my darker setting so that had to be changed), he did it because of how rudely the Carnilleans treated him, and he wanted some revenge, he does regret it but not because he killed a baby, it was because he helped a Zamorakian, and at this point it's clear that he hates Zamorakians. He invades Etcteria takes the Queen prisoner and humiliates her only after he gets to Miscellania (in-universe, he thinks it's a good move, because forcing her to walk wearing nothing but chains in Etcteria would be counterproductive in keeping the peace; it'd make the citizens want to rebel when they see their queen treated so inhumanely, he's treats the Queen courteously enough when he captures her but when he gets to safe ground he drops the act) because in my version, the Fremennik quests (especially Royal Trouble, I think that's the only one that has to do with the Miscellania storyline aside from Throne of Miscellania of course) take place during a time of civil unrest in Miscellania, Bryce becomes Lord Regent after King Vargas takes a leave (due to that yeti curse and he can't rule properly as a yeti, especially when it comes to doing any public events) but he has to put down some rebellions from nobles that don't accept him, and after that Miscellania becomes impoverished as a result of the civil unrest, and Bryce decides to invade Etcteria to conquer the country, take their land and stuff. And in my darker setting, King Vargas (after the yeti curse gets cured) married Queen Sigrid to maintain the peace, and to make sure the Queen won't take revenge, Bryce keeps her in a dungeon and brainwashes her into being the perfect queen (that part about "cutting away piece after piece of her identity until there was nothing left and then rebuilding her in the King's image" is not meant to be taken literally. The brainwashing takes place off-screen, allowing the reader to each imagine what happened, because sometimes that's scarier than me outright telling you what happened. **

**Both versions of the goblin quests and the Fremennik quests are references to stories I wanted to write but never got around to. So yeah, Bryce is supposed to be a complex anti-hero who manages to do both good things (he ends the Miscellanian/Etcteria war, ends the civil unrest in Miscellania, kills a shitload of dagannoth, makes his people wealthy) and bad things (oh c'mon, you know about those), he solely believes that the end justifies the means; he may have good intentions, but he won't use honourable means to achieve his goals. I hope you see him that way. Bryce is rather genre-savy, so he knows someone like Ariane (who's supposed to be an efficient mage but also naïve as seen with her philosophy on revenge and pragmatism) won't like what he's done, so he hides his darker side from her, but he does genuinely care for her, as seen in my previous stuff and the way he treats her when she's unconscious (which I hope didn't come off as creepy). Speaking of romance, this is for the person/people that went "oooh, he blushed in front of Azzanadra, that means something's happening between them!" No. Like I said in the story, this is platonic and nothing more. (Plus, both of them are straight). Oh, and If you're wondering why Azzanadra still praised him despite all the unheroic stuff he did, it's because in my version, Azzanadra doesn't care what Bryce does, as long as he supports the Zarosian cause Azzanadra will see him as a good guy.  
**

**As for the very whitewashed history of Zaros that Bryce spoke of, that wasn't me wanking about how awesome Zaros is. That's due to Bryce only having one source for history—Azzanadra and that book Azzanadra wrote and gifted to him (all right, that's two but whatever), and we all know Azzanadra viewed Zaros and pretty much everything about him with rose tinted glasses. Between that and his need to make himself and by extension the cause he supports look like the good guy (which is why he conveniently left out the part about the Ilujanka), there was really no chance of him telling an unbiased version of Zaros' history. Of course, it would all change if Jagex ever made a quest where you get to travel to the Second Age via the Enchanted Key and see what the Empire was really like.**

**Now for some fun facts.**

**#1: Zaros fighting the Elder Gods is another theory I saw on the forums (yeah I know it probably won't happen, but just imagine Zaros fighting the Elders, it'd be badass as hell).**

**#2: Zamorakians and Saradominists burning books and crucifying/impaling Zarosians is a theory I have on how they destroyed all memories of Zaros, it's not just me making stuff darker and edgier for no reason. I mentioned somewhere in the story that Saradomin and Zamorak had them crucified/impaled then it says their followers did it, that's not a continuity error, the gods ordered it, and their followers actually did it. Oh, and the guys who got crucified didn't get whipped beforehand, so it took them longer to die.**

**#3: Ozan's "adventure" about rescuing Bryce from a lair of fire spiders is based on real, in-game dialogue.**

**#4: Oh, and if you're wondering why Ariane never finds out about the Ancient Spells, I wanted to get some cruel irony in there.**

**I hope I didn't fuck it up too much. If I did, feel free to tell me, I take criticism well (as long as you give it well, so if you did think something sucked, tell me _why_ it sucked).**


End file.
